At Gucci’s resort show earlier
this year, a model was sent down the runway sporting a leather
jacket with the house’s monogram logo emblazoned across its heavily
exaggerated, balloon-like sleeves. To some, it was one look of
many, yet to others it was a look that represented a monumental
moment that shook the intersection of the hip-hop and luxury
fashion worlds.

The significance of this moment
is that the design was an homage to a jacket the legendary designer
Dapper Dan made for Diane Dixon, a retired Olympic sprinter, in the
late 1980s. Ironically, Dixon’s jacket was clad inLouis
Vuitton’s monogram, not Gucci’s. So what we
have here is a European luxury house
retrospectivelypaying homage to a 30-year-old
bootleg jacket, that in itself was ripping off a competing luxury
house. Intense debate then flooded
the Internet and social media. Was it a rip-off or a sign of
respect? The general consensus was that it was the latter, and that
Alessandro Michele, Creative Director of Gucci,
has recognised the work of the once-upon-a-time industry outlaw.
Furthermore, as of earlier this week, Michele put Dapper Dan in
front of the camera to star in Gucci’s resort 2018 campaign, with a
collaboration between the two also in the pipeline.

Born Daniel Day in Harlem,
New York,
in the 1950s, he opened his haberdasher-come-boutique in 1982 on
East 125th Street. At times, it was open 24-hours a day, seven days
a week and 365 days a year - street hustlers and rappers kept to no
man’s watch. Dapper Dan’s precipitous rise came at a perfect moment
in New York’s chronology; it was during the 1980s when hip-hop
began to prove itself as a commercially successful and viable genre
and his success rose in conjunction with it. At the same time, it
sadly became plagued by the crack cocaine epidemic which was rife
in predominantly working-class
and African American neighbourhoods, including Harlem. However,
both of these factors created money and a local economy that
ensured Dap’s business would thrive.

Dap was ahead of his time and
understood the power of the logo. He applied street smarts and a
bodacious mentality to couture by screen printing the monograms of
Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi and MCM on to premium leathers and
married them with luxurious and unusual materials from ostrich to
mink, and python to kevlar. The trailblazer created garments aimed
at young African Americans, as luxury brands did not cater to their
demographic and would often stigmatised them if they were to
venture down Fifth Avenue and into their stateside
flagships.

Similar to hip hop’s forbears,
Dap exercised the same process used in developing the genre:
sampling, mixing and cutting. From Louis Vuitton bomber jackets
to fully-clad MCM car
interiors, Gucci bulletproof parkas to Fendi baseball caps, Dap
could create anything, including silhouettes that luxury brands
would never dream of. The hip hop and crack generation’s mindset
was very much focused on breaking free from the social restraints
set upon by previous generations and political rule. So,
outlandishly showcasing luxury goods via the forms of clothing,
jewellery and cars was evidence of having ‘made it’. Owning a piece
by Dapper Dan was widely considered to be the pinnacle of the
period’s success. It made you ‘someone’.

Gangsters, street hustlers and
Harlem kingpins were his initial customers. They took his creations
to the streets and were soon followed by rappers and sport stars
who took it to the entertainment industry. Before hip hop’s
explosion, the visual narrative of genres such as jazz, rock, blues
and disco formed the inspirational basis for his commissions. Dap
took cues from the aforementioned genre’s icons on their sartorial
elegance and swagger and injected a dose of street culture, with
wider and looser silhouettes, sharp collars and shorter jackets
marred with bold, contrasting patterns and logos. The renowned
Harlem kingpin Alpo Martinez — whose tale of
rags-to-riches-to-snitches was the inspiration for the popular 2002
crime filmPaid In
Full, which is filled
with Dapper Dan references — once commissioned Dap to create 11
suits in one go, each nearing $10,000. Some jackets were fitted
with extra deep pockets to conceal weapons. Martinez is now in the
witness protection system following incarceration for multiple
murders and violent crimes, but in his heyday sporting
Dapper Dan eluded power and a sense of vigilante and untouchable
outlaw.

Recognition by the golden age’s
leading artists cemented Dap’s reputation within the New York
community and beyond with commissions coming in from Washington DC
and the West coast. The formidable rap duo Eric B. &
Rakim wore matching Gucci jackets - created by Dap - on the covers
of their hit records Paid In Full (1987) and Follow The
Leader (1988). Paid In Full is widely considered to be
the greatest rap album ever, and as a result Dap’s creations will
always be associated with that legend. LL Cool J rocked a Gucci red
bomber jacket to match his Kangol bucket hat and performed in a
two-piece MCM tracksuit, both of which bought from Dapper
Dan. One of the most iconic looks
was sported by the late DJ E-Z Rock, who commissioned Dap to create
him a brown velour two-piece tracksuit with Louis Vuitton monogram
side seams. He went as far as having the Nike ‘tick’ on his Air
Force 1 in matching Louis Vuitton leather. Other notable artists
include Salt-N-Pepper, Big Daddy Kane, The Fat Boys, KRS-One and
Jam Master Jay.

Dap’s boutique was no stranger
to extraordinary events and run-ins with the law. In the build up
to his heavyweight title defence against Frank Bruno in 1988, the
New Yorker and king of controversy Mike Tyson commissioned Dap to
create him a jacket with ‘Don’t Believe The Hype’ — the track title
to one of Public Enemy’s hit records — on the back. Whilst
collecting his jacket, he got into an altercation with fellow
heavyweight
Mitch Green, who wanted a rematch to a fight he lost in 1986. Not
seeing eye to eye, the two had a fight that sprawled onto the
street outside Dap’s store. Tyson threw one of his infamous right
hands, suffering a hairline fracture in the process, but firmly and
savagely closed Green’s left eye. Tyson’s endorsement of Dapper Dan
and his knack for gaining headlines packed a punch and made the
designer highly newsworthy. Dap has also designed boxing shorts
for the now retired and ‘TBE’ Floyd Mayweather, who, of course, is
well-known for bragging about his wealth.

Since Dap’s boutique opened its
doors in 1982, there have been countless references of it in
popular culture and mentions in rapper’s rhymes. He had a profound
influence not just in a visual sense, but also lyrically. Such is
his street legend, it wasn't long until the luxury brands he was
mimicking caught wind of his success and had the authorities raid
his store on a number of occasions. They shut him down in 1992 and
forced him underground. In the grand scheme of things, within a
short span of ten years Dapper Dan curated hip-hop culture and
demonstrated a totally alternative way of thinking and approach to
design, paving the way for future high-end streetwear designers.
When looking at the luxury world today you can’t ignore the most
minute references — from bold silhouettes to overt use of branding
— that wouldn’t occur if it wasn't for Dapper Dan. Earlier this
year Louis Vuitton, headed by Kim Jones (who has cited Dap as
an inspiration) collaborated with Supreme on a huge, in-your-face
heavily branded collection. Ten years earlier, though, Louis
Vuitton sued Supreme for copyright infringement. This is all
further evidence that the chasm between streetwear
and luxury isn't what it used to be. The fact that Dap has,
finally, been accepted by the luxury world is a good and well
deserved recognition, and it’s rumoured that he will be re-opening
his store after a 25-year hiatus and creating a capsule collection
for Gucci.